ORLANDO, Fla., March 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wendover Housing Partners and Universal Parks & Resorts today revealed the initial development plan for Universal’s Housing for Tomorrow initiative, a new approach aimed at helping address the shortage of affordable housing in Orlando.
The development plan provides the first look at the site plan, elevations and key elements of the community, which has been named Catchlight Crossings. It was submitted to the Orange County Planning and Development department today as the next step in moving this initiative forward.
Housing for Tomorrow is Universal’s first-of-its-kind approach designed to help create an innovative solution to address Orlando’s critical need for affordable housing by creating inclusive, economically diverse housing options. Universal pledged 20 acres of prime land in the heart of Orlando’s tourist corridor to be used for 1,000 units of affordable/mixed-income housing.
Universal has taken the unprecedented step of pledging a large parcel of land specifically to be used for affordable housing and has formed a not-for-profit entity to ensure the land will always be used for this purpose.
After conducting a national search, Universal selected Wendover Housing Partners to develop and manage the community and bring the vision for Catchlight Crossings to life.
The Catchlight Crossings development plan, created jointly by Wendover and Universal, sets a new vision for what affordable housing can be; a community built to enhance the lifestyle of its residents. This includes a wide range of on-site services that will put residents first. Some of the unique community features are expected to include:
- On-site tuition-free preschool
- On-site medical offices
- A transportation center for buses, ridesharing and employer shuttles
- 16,000 square foot retail area
- Community event space
- Technology cafés
- A makerspace for hobbies, activities and educational events
- Community gardens
- Bike and walking paths
- Neighborhood food pantry
- Fitness center
- Game room
- Playground
- Two resort style pools
- Grilling gazebo
“Our vision has been to bring an innovative, new approach to solving our community’s affordable housing crisis,” said John Sprouls, executive vice president and chief administrative officer for Universal Parks & Resorts. “This is about creating a community that will put residents first – a place that inspires them and that they will be proud to call home.”
“Through this partnership with Universal, we hope to serve as a model for how private employers, local governments and developers can work together to address socioeconomic issues in the communities where we live and work,” said Jonathan L. Wolf, founder and CEO of Wendover Housing Partners. “What Wendover and Universal are creating here is truly unique and will leave a lasting, positive impact on the community for generations to come.”
The development plan will be going through the approval process with Orange County.
For a rendering of Catchlight Crossings, click here.
For additional information about Housing for Tomorrow, visit housingfortomorrow.com.
About Wendover Housing Partners
Headquartered in Altamonte Springs, Wendover Housing Partners, LLC is a privately held real estate development, investment and management company founded in 1995. As one of the Southeast’s premier housing companies, Wendover specializes in the development of single and multi-family homes, apartment communities, senior communities, and transit-oriented development. Wendover’s expansive portfolio of affordable and mixed-income developments demonstrates the company’s success in creating housing opportunities in a variety of economically and socially diverse neighborhoods.
About Universal Parks & Resorts
Universal Parks & Resorts, a unit of Comcast NBCUniversal, offers guests around the globe today’s most relevant and popular entertainment experiences. With three-time Academy Award winner Steven Spielberg as creative consultant, its theme parks are known for immersive experiences that feature some of the world’s most thrilling and technologically advanced film- and television-based attractions. Universal Parks & Resorts in the U.S. are Universal Studios Hollywood, which includes Universal CityWalk Hollywood; and Universal Orlando Resort, a destination resort with three theme parks (Universal Studios Florida, Universal’s Islands of Adventure and Universal’s Volcano Bay water theme park), eight resort hotels, and Universal CityWalk Orlando. Around the world, UP&R includes Universal Studios Japan in Osaka, a license agreement with Universal Studios Singapore at Resorts World Sentosa, and a theme park destination being developed in Beijing called Universal Beijing Resort.
About Housing for Tomorrow
Founded in 2020 with the mission to bring more diverse, affordable housing options to Central Florida, Housing for Tomorrow is an innovative, private-industry based solution to one of the area’s most pressing issues. Universal Parks & Resorts pledged 20 acres of land for the creation of a 1,000-unit affordable/mixed-income housing community. As a not-for-profit entity, Housing for Tomorrow will retain ownership of the land, serve as Master Developer, and ensure that the effort will provide housing for low- and moderate-income residents in perpetuity. The community will be built and managed by Wendover Housing Partners, a leader in affordable housing solutions. For more information on Housing for Tomorrow, visit: https://housingfortomorrow.com/.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Hannah Young
Uproar PR for Wendover Housing Partners
M: 407-920-4110
O: 321.236.0102
hyoung@uproarpr.com
Universal Parks & Resorts Corporate Communications
UPRCorpComm@uniparks.com
A PDF accompanying this announcement is available at http://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/0b0b0141-c6d9-447a-971a-825fd7259dcb
